November 6, 2024
If you've worked with structural adhesives before, you are probably familiar with the Plexus brand. Plexus is a well-known manufacturer of industrial adhesives from ITW Performance Polymers. Their adhesives include a wide range of properties and are designed with various manufacturing and assembly applications in mind.
In this blog, we are reviewing a particular Plexus adhesive- ITW Plexus MA422.
About Plexus MA422
Plexus MA422 is a two-part methyl methacrylate adhesive that is used in structural bonding applications often to replace welding and mechanical fasteners. It is designed to bond well with numerous different types of materials such as metals (including coated metals), composites, and thermoplastics.
One property of the Plexus MA422 methacrylate adhesive that stands out is its non-sag thixotropic dispensing. On top of this, the Plexus MA422 glue boasts good elongation, fatigue resistance, and strength. It has a working time of 17 to 24 minutes and a fixture time of 35 to 40 minutes. Together, these properties make the Plexus MA422 adhesive an enticing choice for a wide range of bonding applications. But, is this product really as good as it claims?
Plexus MA422 Product Review
We have been in the adhesives industry since 1971 and are familiar with a wide range of products and brands. As a result, our adhesive experts have seen the good, the bad, and ugly of almost every adhesive on the market, and we are sharing our honest review of Plexus MA422.
The Good
The Plexus MA422 methyl methacrylate adhesive is a good adhesive with many desirable properties. Many different industries use it, and we have seen it be successful in a wide variety of structural bonding applications across the years.
Some of the more notable pros of Plexus MA422 include its:
- Strong, structural bonds
- Impact and fatigue resistance
- Chemical resistance
- Little surface preparation required
- Ability to bond various substrate materials
The Bad
That all being said, the product is not a slam dunk. There are some cons to the Plexus MA422 adhesive. One of the biggest drawbacks to the Plexus MA422 is the price. Top brands cost top dollar, and Plexus is no exception. If you want this product, you will be paying a hefty price for it, no matter where you get it.
Besides the high-ticket price, some of the cons of the Plexus MA422 structural adhesive include its:
- Limited sizes
- 10-month shelf life
- Cost to strength ratio
The Ugly Truth
The "ugly truth" is that top brands are expensive. But high-quality adhesives do not need to cost businesses an arm and a leg. Because Plexus is such a popular brand, many businesses just assume that they need to cough up the cash to get a strong bond. Considering we've been in the business for many years, we know better. There are many alternative products available for Plexus adhesives.
Our team has found a high-quality but lower-price alternative to Plexus MA422. The Infinity Bond MMA 422 has a very similar chemical makeup to the Plexus product but costs a lot less. If you are wondering if this alternative can really do the same job as the Plexus MA422 glue, that was our first thought too.
At one of our technical innovation centers, we performed a lap shear test following the American Society of Test Methods (ASTM) D1002 standards. Testing three different samples and finding their average, we compared the tensile strength of Plexus MA422 and Infinity Bond MMA 422.
On the Plexus MA422 technical datasheet, it says that the tensile strength of the adhesive is 2,430 to 2,970 PSI. In our lab, we tested this claim and found that the three samples experience bond failure at 2,492 PSI. We also tested the Infinity Bond product in the same conditions. The average for this product was higher at 2,700 PSI. So, not only did the MMA 422 perform just as well, but actually it performed even better than the higher-cost Plexus MA422 product.
On top of having a lower cost for a higher strength, the Infinity Bond product also has a longer shelf life (12 months versus 10 months) and comes in more sizes. It forms strong structural bonds, is impact resistant, requires minimal surface preparation, and can bond several different materials.
Time to Change?
If you are tired of paying so much for Plexus MA422, it may be time to make the switch. In fact, there are alternatives for several different Plexus products that could save your business time and aggravation. All you have to do is contact us and speak with one of our adhesive experts. We can even perform substrate bonding tests to ensure the new product works for your application.
Plexus® is a registered trademark of ITW Performance Polymers. Gluegun.com is not affiliated with ITW Performance Polymers. All names and part numbers are used for comparison purposes only.
